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Feral

She’d been there all day, watching from beyond the fence line, keeping her distance. There would be a litter somewhere close.

After lunch, Dave got a clear shot. Nathan watched her crumple, sand-coloured against the scrub. He dropped his eyes, then joined in the general back-slapping. It had been a great shot. And they all knew what a dog could do to sheep.

“You’ll be right with the tidy-up, mate? They’ll be nearby.” Nathan nodded and took the offered pick handle.

He found them, whimpering, inside a log.

Driving home alone, he fondled the squirming bundle concealed in his coat pocket.

*****

The longest fence in the world is in Australia. It’s the Dingo Fence, begun in the 1850s, originally to keep rabbits out of farmland, and later adapted to also exclude dingoes. You can watch a short video overview below. If you’re interested in reading a little of the current discussion about its efficacy, here’s a short article.

My story is for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields on her blog ‘Addicted to Purple’. Writers contribute 100 word stories in response to a photo prompt. You can find all the other stories here.

Mixed feelings are good. The dingoes aren’t regarded with much fondness at all, in rural Australia. They’re savage in their attacks on sheep. I’m really glad I’ll never be in the position of having to deal with them, as I’m much too sentimental about dogs.

I was glad about that too. I’m glad you found the reading interesting. Dingoes have a bad reputation here in Australia. They’ve been known to attack children, and they’ll maul sheep just for fun, I’m told, beyond their food needs. I have no personal experience of them, however. Thanks, again, for leaving a comment, Gah.